


The Forgotten Village

by Just_an_aussie_fujoshi (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger Management, Angst, Blood and Gore, Childhood Trauma, Depression, Eren Has Anger Issues, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am weak to Eren Jaeger, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Swearing, and way too much exposition whoops, i love how that's a tag, lots of yelling, most of it is eren, post-season two, the fact that's an actual tag says a lot about our main protagonist, there is so much dialogue i'm so sorry, this is unrelated to the manga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2018-11-15 14:46:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11233197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Just_an_aussie_fujoshi
Summary: With the threat of starvation ever present, the higher-ups in the military thought it best to try and revive the rapidly disappearing flora and fauna populations, to better sustain humanity. Section Commander Hange leads a mission to do just that and decides to bring the 104th kids along, for the sake of training and exploration. What mysteries await outside the confines of the walls?





	1. So it begins...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is my first work on this website, so bear with me. Honestly, I just wanted to write about plants and flowers (I'm a botany freak, fight me) within the SnK universe. I can't write titles or summaries to save my life, and I hope my excessive use of commas doesn't annoy anyone XD  
> I've put all the meanings of the names I used at the end, in case you were curious (which I did, in fact, Google). I'm going to make this a few chapters long, not sure how many at the moment. While I love it, I don't write a lot, so my pacing may be a bit weird. But, I digress, I hope you enjoy reading!

**Hange's POV**

Hange always disliked being in the courtroom. Why waste valuable time trying to be diplomatic with people who only came to these meetings to further themselves, when instead they could be actively furthering the survival of humanity? They would much rather be dissecting a Titan, sharing theories with Armin or bombarding Eren with questions than sitting here, beside Captain Levi (Commander Erwin being absent on account of recovering from the loss of his arm), listening to the ranting and rambling of the jury.

The government had been stuck on the subject for nearly two weeks: all scouting missions had been called off, with all the higher-ups being called in. Many of the Military Police commanders, however, were absent, likely trying to control the riots that had begun to appear within the walls; three of which had been fatal, with twelve casualties in total.

Hange wasn't paying much attention, they were a part of the Scouting regiment, so this meeting had little to do with them. They glanced over to Levi who was, as always, stoic as a log, reflecting their own distaste.

"...At least Eighty percent of the total land within the walls are completely useless! What little farmland we had was located within wall Maria; only small, scattered portions of fertile soil remain within the outer areas of wall Rose. At this rate, the Titans will be the least of our problems." Hange perked up at that. Eighty-percent? Good God, this was worse than they thought. They searched for the speaker - a tall, blonde woman, with steel blue eyes and sharp features.

"So what do you propose, Amara-San? We set out on an ill-advised quest for plots of fertile land? A nice sentiment, but foolish nonetheless; the outside is infested with Titans, after all." Alexandre, a tall man with fair skin and short, jet black hair - most famous for being smug, self-absorbed and outspoken.

"If we don't do something, the citizens will starve; and starvation does terrible things to the human mind - to any creature's mind. There is plenty of animal life already within the walls - but without fruits, herbs and vegetables, we are depriving our bodies of valuable nutrients!"

"Amara-San, I agree that our current situation is not ideal - far from it, but you need to understand how ridiculous you sound! You said it yourself: any hope we had of growing food perished the instant Wall Maria was breached. We'd have more luck clearing land for cattle and mass breeding them. Even if this absurd plan actually works, this area is subject to snow - something that poses far greater a risk towards plant life than that of animals."

"Why can't we just do both?" Hange interjected. "I mean, humans are omnivorous, so we need both meat and plant-based foods to survive. So how about this: we create a squad solely for the preservation and protection of flora and fauna! Now, before you all start blabbing at me about "manpower" and "costs" and all that crap, consider this: in 100, even 200 years from now, we'll be looking back at this moment - whether it saves us from ruin or was yet another useless gathering where we did nothing but emphasise how screwed we all are - is dependent on you. It's clear that we are in dire need of a stable food supply, and while clearing land and mass breeding cattle would be far easier, it's no secret that having a constant, solid supply of crops is necessary, not only for us but for the cattle themselves!"

"Don't you think we haven't already considered that?" One soldier called.

"I mean it wouldn't be easy, but it's not impossible" Another murmured.

"Why are _they_ even here? What the hell do the scouts have to do with this?" One soldier remarked, gesturing to Hange and Levi. They noticed Levi scowl - even more so than usual - at that statement, but kept silent.

"Hange-San, thank you for your input, but we simply don't have the available soldiers; the Military Police will be too busy stopping citizens from killing each other. It's chaos out there!"

"Why don't we take people from the Scouts? Not permanently, of course, just to start us off! I would be able to lead a small recon team of our best recruits - simultaneously exterminating the Titans that have surely accumulated outside the walls, and surveying the land - ha, see what I did there? 'Survey Corps, surveying the land?' Priceless. But I digress, we could be killing two birds with one stone, here; and if we return with no solution we can drop the project and work on ways on fertilising the land we have within the walls."

"I guess there are benefits to having a mad scientist within the military - they're the ones with the brains," Levi stated flatly. "I for one think this idea isn't as impossible as it seems."

"Well thank you, Levi! It's nice to see you're paying attention!" Hange slapped him on the back, earning them a death stare.

"Thank you for your input, Hange-San, Levi-San; I'm sure we'll work something out soon. Court adjourned." 

* * *

_**One week later, at breakfast** _

**(Levi's POV)**

"Soooooo, Levi, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany a mission outside the walls? Y'know, the whole 'preservation of the flora/fauna' thing?"

"They actually came to a decision? Took 'em long enough. Whaddya want?" The man looked up from his food - not anything special, just some bread and beans. 

"Well, I was thinking it'd be nice to get the 104th out of the walls, go somewhere without Titans for a while. They've all been through so much in such a short time - God only knows what kind of state they're in psychologically. I think it'd be good to get some of the younger minds working on this, too, not just crusty old farts who've barely seen the light of day; it'll offer a far broader perspective than we could obtain with just the adults. Besides, they're some of the most skilled fighters we've seen in years! This could be a great training activity! You and I will accompany them, of course."

Levi considered this for a moment, "Why Eren, though? What if he loses control again?"

 _"That's_ what you're worried about?" Levi pursed his lips, he supposed that did sound a bit unfair. "That's why I want you to come along; in the event that Eren _does_ lose control, Mikasa wouldn't have the resolve to take him on - Armin either, for that matter. It would have to be up to you to contain him."

Levi grimaced. He had no doubts he could take the kid, but he wasn't so sure about how his crazy sister and the academic coconut would feel about losing the only family they had left.

"We need to clear it up with Erwin first-"

"Gotcha covered!" Hange interjected, "Actually, I'd already told him you were going and we've arranged the whole thing, I just needed to convince you to come!" A wicked grin split their face in half. "Oh, by the way, we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning, see ya then!" And with that, the eccentric scientist raced off before Levi could utter a reply.

Levi looked to the sky 'God, why must you torment me with this imbecile?'


	2. Onwards!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quest for farmland finally begins! Three new characters arrive, and the story finally gets rolling! Ah, the much over-used 'Jean is a horse' joke... Lots of bickering and petty arguments are guaranteed, but what can be expected from a bunch of 16-year-olds?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was feeling inspired today so I decided to update this thing. This is mostly introducing characters and setting up the story a bit more, hopefully not a boring chapter ~ Also, in case any of my spelling confuses you, i'm Australian, and down here we use a mixture of British English and American English when it comes to spelling and grammar :)  
> Once again, I am writing this rather than completing an essay due tomorrow... Whoops.

**(Historia's POV)**

  
Sunlight breached the horizon; its warm rays a stark contrast to the brisk, morning air. A thin layer of frost covered the grass, morning dew dribbled from the leaves of the colossal Silver Birch trees.

Historia stood, red-nosed and shivering beside a barely conscious scientist, whom she learned was named Rune. The poor man had likely never woken up earlier than noon, and if his deathly pale skin was any indication, he wasn't exactly the outdoorsy type. He was short and thin, with shaggy blonde hair. He was one of two scientists accompanying them, the other being Alina, sporting the lightest blonde hair imaginable held back in two short braids. She was average height and build, with soft features - while Rune was lankier and was around the same height as Jean. Both were around the same age, early twenties.

"Small squad, eh?" Rune mused.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, they're really short on manpower at the moment, so they ended up having to draw from the Scouts."

"Ah, that makes sense. Best not to involve the MPs - not when they're finally earning their damn keep." He chuckled.

Historia glanced around: Levi-San and Hange-San were reviewing the plans for the day; Armin and Alina were doing a final stock-take of supplies; Eren had been sent to retrieve the torches, as well as the flint and steel; Connie was out collecting extra water and rations (Sasha had volunteered, but was shut down immediately); Mikasa and Sasha were sharpening everyone's blades and checking there was an adequate amount of gas; and Jean was attending to the horses (much to Eren's amusement).

Historia gazed into the cloudless sky, shades of blue, yellow, orange and pink mingling in a stunning array. She closed her eyes, absorbing the serenity - something that had been severely lacking in previous months. She exhaled, soaking in the peaceful atmosphere.

"Sorry, everyone! I'm here!” A high-pitched voice broke the silence. A short brunette raced towards them - this must be the farmer they were waiting on.

The girl reached Hange-San and fell straight into an apologetic bow, despite the enormous rucksack she carried. "My apologies for being late, Section-Commander, one of the animals had a sudden injury and I had to help my father bring it back into the barn!"

"It's quite alright, uh..."

"Klara - Klara Schäfer!"

"Please, stand upright. It's fine that you're late, gave us some time to revise our schedule and do some final checks." Hange smiled.

By this time, everyone sans Connie and Eren had gathered around the pair, and now Historia was closer, she was taken aback by the farmer's youth. The girl was even younger than her - thirteen, fourteen, maybe? She looked nervous, perhaps having all these people around her was making her uncomfortable? Being the Good Samaritan she was, Historia decided to break the ice.

"So you're that farmer, huh? Good to have you aboard!" Historia beamed, stretching out a hand. "I'm Historia, by the way."

Klara blinked twice, before grasping the hand and shaking. "Klara; good to be here."

Everyone else introduced themselves, and Hange began briefing the girl on the plans for the day. The crowd disbanded and began packing up and distributing the equipment. Eren and Connie returned and distributed their respective materials, and soon the gang were atop their horses - well, everyone bar Klara. As it turned out, they were a horse short.

"Oi, Jean, get off your horse! You can walk!"

"Eh? The hell are you on about, Jaeger?"

Eren lets out a hearty laugh and dismounts his horse, striding over to Klara. He crouched down to better face the girl, a warm smile on his face.

"Have you ever ridden a horse?"

"Yes, but only with my father" She replies softly.

"You wanna ride with me? You sit in front of me so you won't fall off, alright?"

"O-okay. Thank you, Eren-San."

The boy chuckled and patted her on the head, rising from his knees. "Just Eren's fine."

The boy boosts her up, then mounts the horse himself, and instructs her to hold on to the horses' mane and neck tightly. Hange instructed the group to form a double-diamond shape: Eren, Klara, Rune and Aline making up the centre triangle; the outer diamond consisted of Hange at the very front, flanked by Mikasa and Armin; Connie and Sasha were on the outer edges, the 'points' of the diamond; Jean and Historia behind them, and Levi at the very back.

Once everyone had gotten into formation and comfortably seated atop their steeds, Hange gave the signal to move out. Klara squeaked at the sudden acceleration, so Eren pulled her back so she was flush with his abdomen. Surprisingly, the scientists were managing the ride fairly well so far, despite the fact Rune was close to falling on several occasions. Historia's hair whipped in the wind, the sun slowly creeping up from behind the tree-line. It was still rather chilly, but the adrenaline made it easy to ignore. She grinned up at the sky - she was glad she was able to leave the walls, even if there were Titans everywhere. 

* * *

 

**(Levi's POV)**

Levi was unsure what to think of the three newcomers - it completely escaped him how Erwin could authorise Klara, who looked to be barely thirteen, on such a dangerous mission. Times were rough, but surely one of her siblings or her parents could have taken her place?

That coupled with Hange being annoying as ever, as well as Eren and Jean's antics - he wanted to scream, but it would seem Klara had beaten him to it.

His head shot up, right as he saw a Titan, practically skipping towards them - the bastard was at least ten meters. And then there came another, a three-meter; and then two more, and suddenly a whole horde of Titans appeared - twelve in total. He counted three abnormals.

Shit.


	3. Run...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the forest, Titans appear! Given new insight into the identity of Titans, the gang is reluctant to fight; and so they run…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am weak to:  
> a) Eren Jaeger, and  
> b) Scenery  
> I am so sorry XD. Very dialogue heavy until the last portion (just a heads up). Also, Sasha and Connie finally get some lines! (as in they literally get one each n-n). Eren is a pretty-boy and I do not intend to let you all forget it! =3 I wrote this while listening to the openings and endings for AoT - fight me.

**(Eren’s POV)**

Are you freaking serious?

He stared, slack-jawed at the horde of titans approaching. He could feel Klara shaking against his chest, whimpering. He glanced around; Rune and Alina were in a similar state.

"Oi, Earth to Jaeger!" Jean's insistent voice reeled Eren back into reality. "We're gonna stop here!"

"Huh? Okay!" He pulled harshly on the horse's reigns, the animal whinnying in protest. They formed a loose semi-circle, watchful of the oncoming danger.

"S-so, those are Titans, huh?" Rune started, "they look just like us - that isn't terrifying at all."

"If they didn't want to kill us, maybe I'd try and talk to them..." Alina continued with a shaky voice.

It was at that moment that Eren realised - neither of them had seen a Titan before. They were botanists within wall Sina - they had likely never left their workplaces, let alone travelled to a place with Titans. 'How lucky they were', he thought.

"Are we attacking these guys, or what? 'Cause if we are, we gotta do it right now!" Connie started. To the outsiders, it was the frustration of being caught off guard that troubled the soldiers – not the hesitance they all felt towards fighting the Titans.

"I didn't think we'd be running into any at all! Certainly not this early!” Armin added, eyes trained on the Titans, they were not an immediate danger, but the three abnormals were worrisome - particularly the one leading the charge, he was smaller than the other two but considerably faster.

"I - I don't know if I can control them, nor am I in the right state of mind to transform..." Eren bowed his head, an unspoken apology. A moment of understanding passed through the soldiers, leaving the other three in utter confusion.

"You needn't worry, Eren, because we're not going to fight them," Levi stated flatly. "We have weapons, yes, but with these giant-ass rucksacks on our backs, it makes slicing into Titans a little difficult; and we can’t exactly abandon our supplies, either. That coupled with our extra passengers, we're just gonna have to book it. At least for now"

"Very well; once we are within a suitable distance, we'll break formation and bob-and-weave our way through them." Hange turned to Rune. "I'm going to get you to follow Armin to the far left, and Alina, you follow Mikasa to the far right. Sasha, Historia, Jean and Connie, go straight ahead and break formation just before you meet the first Titan. Eren, Levi and I will follow suit, except we're gonna go straight through the horde." Everyone was taken aback, but Hange wouldn’t intentionally put them in danger unless they were certain of their plan – Hange had their utmost trust.

Eren looked down at Klara, "you okay with this?"

Despite the unmistakable terror in her eyes, she nodded firmly. He gave her a wide, reassuring smile, "don't worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to 'ya."

"Alright, guys, Abnormal incoming!" Connie shouted.

"See you on the other side!” Sasha called.

Together, they charged, and when the first Titan was within a reasonable distance, all hell broke loose. The group diverged at the last second, causing the Titan to miss its target and crash face first into the dirt. They spread the Titans thin, making it easier to manoeuvre between them. Looking around, Eren could see two smaller Titans pursuing Mikasa and Alina, though it was clear they were in no danger - the military-bred horses were much faster than the spindly-legged creatures. 'Creatures that were once human', Eren reminded himself. He shook his head; losing his focus could spell disaster, he could save those thoughts for when they reached wherever the hell it was they were going.

He spotted a larger Titan heading straight toward them, probably a ten-meter. "Klara, I'm gonna need you to hold on really tight."

"That's not gonna be a problem!"

The Titan continued its pursuit, Eren dodging left and right to escape – it had stopped running and started leaping, and given the size of the thing, one wrong move and they’d be lunch.

Eren barely heard it when Hange shouted: “Everyone, head towards the forest! Use your ODM and ditch the horses – we’ll lose ‘em in there!”

“What do I do, Hange-San!?” Eren cried, and he could see Hange cringe and curse, “you’ll just have to hang on to her!”

“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Ohmygosh.” Klara chanted, overwhelmed with fear. He wanted to help her – do anything to distract her from the terror ensnaring her, but right now he was more focused on making sure they came out alive…

The barren Earth beneath them shook violently – considering his luck, Eren was surprised his horse hadn’t already toppled over and landed face-first onto the dirt. He grits his teeth; the unforgiving wind and the dust making his eyes water and burn. The Titans were relentless in their chase, but they had made good progress towards the forest – salvation at last. There was just one problem…

“Klara, when I give the signal, I’ll need you to turn around and hug me.”

“Um, what? Eren-San, it’s not exactly the time for– “

“Sorry, that came out weird! What I mean is, when I give you the signal: wrap your arms and legs around me, and I’ll grapple onto one of the trees – it’ll be far safer than me trying to carry you and manoeuvre with my gear!”

“Oh, um okay. How exactly am I gonna do that!?”

“We’ll just have to improvise!”

He waited until Hange, Mikasa, Rune, Armin and Alina had all grappled onto a tree and disappeared into the forest before he told Klara to move. Releasing the horse's mane from her grasp, she slowly turns, gripping Eren's right shoulder with her left hand, and then his left one with her right hand. Similarly, she lifted her left leg and hooked it around his hip, and then swung around, almost falling over in the process as she finally wrapped her right leg around him, now facing behind the horse.

"Okay, I need you to hold on to me like your life depends on it - because it really does. On the count of five, I'm going to grapple onto a branch. Brace yourself!"

* * *

 

**(Klara's POV)**

If they weren't running for their lives, Klara might have been embarrassed about her current predicament. Looking up at Eren, he was clearly in a similar state of embarrassment, overpowered by terror. She was, after all, in a very intimate position with a guy she'd met less than ten minutes ago.

She had always lived a modest life - her family holding a mixture of cows and sheep within their estate. They were by no means rich, but they always ate every day - so they were doing better than almost three-quarters of the rest of humanity...

The Titans: her elder sister would always tell stories about them based on what she'd heard from passing merchants. How a Titan so large that it's whole head could be seen over the walls kicked in the outer gate, taking a considerable chunk of the townspeople of Shiganshina with it. The Colossal One, her sister had called it. How another titan had powered its way through the city - its skin harder than any armour man could ever fashion.

Seeing them up close was a whole new experience; Rune had taken the words right out of her mouth when he said that they looked exactly like a human - only far larger and far more terrifying. It was as if someone has said "make the most disturbing face you can", and never told them to stop. Some smiled, some pouted, some were blank-faced - one of them grinned. An eerie "I will murder you while you sleep" grin.

And now she was being chased by them.

How Eren hadn't broken down in tears the moment he'd laid eyes on them - how everyone here had managed to stay calm both amazed and terrified her. 'What kind of hell would you have to endure to be so darn calm about a flesh-eating giant chasing you!?' That was the life of a soldier, she supposed. The first time she had seen Eren, she remembered seeing such sadness in his eyes - a crushing, deep-set despair...

"Five"

The sudden announcement dragged her back to reality, and she promptly secured her arms and legs in the grooves of Eren's - quite frankly - well-shaped body.

"Four" The Titan behind them continued its chase, leaping like a ballerina over mounds and shrubbery.

"Three" The creature's long, shaggy brown hair swishing before its eyes like the leaves of a tree in a storm.

"Two" Eren released his hold on the horses' reins, and she braced as instructed.

"One". And suddenly, the world sped up as she flew backwards into the lush overgrowth...


	4. Roar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When making a dangerous plan, one must consider Murphy's law. For those that are unfamiliar, the law states: "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." But there's a hidden side to this rule that comes into play when you least expect it: "if things are okay, expect them to get bad. And if they do, expect them to get worse." 
> 
> Murphy's Law makes a horrible situation even worse, forcing Eren to take drastic measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I use the English Dub roar, not the Japanese one, because I personally find it far more terrifying... (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zq24eHF_SCU) This chapter is... Dark. As to be expected, considering the source material. Basically a repeat of that scene in episode 5(?) when Eren first transforms... I just thought it was too cool not to write about it! I love making my characters suffer *evil grin*  
> For those using the imperial system:  
> \- 10 meters is roughly 33ft  
> \- 20 meters is roughly 66ft  
> \- 50 meters is roughly 164ft

 

**Eren's POV**

He immediately regretted his decision. Grappling onto a tree and rushing into the forest seemed like a perfectly good idea given the situation, but now that he was speeding towards the forest, a horrified Klara plastered to his abdomen, hanging on for dear life... Not so much. 

Klara was screaming into his ear, the heels of her leather boots digging into his back. Sweat covered his body like a suit of armour - his mind bombarded with so much information he could barely think straight. Not to mention the break-neck speed at which they avoided Titan and shrubbery alike. 

To his relief, he could see his teammates, along with Rune and Alina, safely grappled to three different branches of a colossal oak tree, far from the reach of even the tallest of the Titans. They were calling to them - screaming. Jean and Connie were holding Mikasa back from intercepting them, while Rune was stopping Armin from approaching as well.Alina seemed to be hurt, curled into the fetal position, leaning on the trunk of the tree they were gathered on; he couldn't make much else out. 

Eren estimated thirty meters between him and the forest, so he released another burst of gas, propelling them forward – and that was when everything went wrong.

He barely heard Levi-San shout a warning before the abnormal was upon them. The creature was tall, sickly thin and bald - sharing more of a resemblance to a decrepit old man than a giant, man-eating monster. Before he could even breathe the giant had opened its bony fist to grab at them - only for it to be severed at the wrist by Levi-San. But not before it grabbed a hold of one of Eren's grapples, snapping it, and sending them flying nearly fifty meters towards the sky.

Klara was openly sobbing into his chest, screaming and crying. "I don't want to die. I don't want anyone to die. Oh, God, please save us!" She cried, her voice cracking.

_God? Don't even joke. If there was a God, where is he? What has he been doing, while his "people" suffered and died, like rats in a cage? Why had he allowed Titans to exist at all? For if he was all-powerful, could he not simply strike them down, and let this whole thing be over with? Or was this, perhaps, a part of his plan for humanity? Had he grown tired of the lies, the filth, the sins of humanity, and had decided to end it all, with some horrific, cataclysmic event?_

They began to slow - Eren's stomach dropped when he realised they had started to fall, spinning like a top on a table. Levi-San was screaming, trying to catch up to them. He had killed the abnormal, the body now steaming as it began to decay. The man was shooting towards them like an arrow - he would reach them given time, but even  _he_  couldn't save them both. 

Eren knew what he had to do. He looked Klara right in the eyes, wiping her eyes. "You're not going to die, Klara. I promise you that - I swear on my life that you will survive this. You'll get home safe, you'll see your family again." He ignored the dizziness he was feeling, the harsh wind on his face, everything that wasn't Klara and him. 

"This sounds insane, but when I give the signal, I'm going to need you to let go of me."

 _"What!?"_   

"Please, you'll be safe, I just need you to let go of me for a moment". 

"This sound ridiculous, but I trust you, Eren-San!" 

He nodded, then shouted. “Levi-San, I’m going to drop Klara! Catch her!”

“What?! No, hang on, I’m coming to get you!” He replied, his tone desperate.

"Just do it! I'll deal with the Titans, get her back to safety!" 

_There is no God - only humankind and the beasts that seek to destroy them. This was their fight, and they had to win._

The giant opened its maw, displaying its teeth as it extended an arm towards them. 

"Now, Klara!" 

She released him, and he pushed her away from the Titan. 

They began to drift apart - he waited until they were a metre away from each other, Eren just out of the giant's reach.

He saw Levi-San hook an arm around Klara's waist, pulling her into a similar position she was with Eren. They locked eyes:  _'this is a dumb idea', 'good luck', 'don't die', 'please don't do this',_  he seemed to say. He nodded once. Gripping Klara tight, he shot a grapple into a smaller tree stump and sped away. They had reached the tree-line, Levi-San all but throwing Klara onto the branch before turning. A look of horror crossed his friend's faces, he didn't understand why.

He cried out in sudden pain. He couldn't move his legs - they were being crushed. _'The Titan had him'_ he realised _._ In one horrifying second, the Titan had Eren's entire upper body in its mouth.

It bit down.

The pain was unexplainable. Unimaginable.  

His legs spasmed, and then he lost feeling in them completely; the Titan's teeth had broken his spine. He screamed, a guttural, animalistic sound. Blood gushed from the wound, coating his abdomen in an instant. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. 

The Titan opened its mouth once more, and his body began to slide down its throat.

_It was happening again._

Before the trauma and the fear could take hold, something within Eren stirred, clearing his head - his rage.

No. He wouldn't die here. He _refused_ to die here. He had too much waiting for him, he hadn't fulfilled his goal.  

Eren roared; not in pain but in anger. He concentrated all his fear, his rage, his hatred, his devotion to his friends- no, his _family_ \- all of them coursing through his veins, reinvigorating him, like a cold bucket of water had been doused over him.

 _'I'll kill you all, every last goddamn one.'_  

* * *

 

**Alina's POV**

What Alina would give to be back in her laboratory in the heart of Wall Sina - the large, brick fireplace her father had built; the comfortable chairs and bed. She missed tending to her herb garden; cleaning and reorganising her laboratory over and over again; buying fresh bread from the elderly couple a few streets down; waking up at whatever time she pleased and conducting her research all throughout the day; writing and reading book after book on herbology, and marvelling at the three, small carnivorous plants she had managed to maintain for close to a year now... 

All of that seemed little more than a dream - a fantasy world when confronted with the Titans. 

She had heard of them of course, everyone had. Tensions were higher now than ever, with not one but three large-scale Titan attacks in the last five years. Not to mention the intense food shortages, and the brutality some of the Military Police had shown civilians. She had heard stories of migrants from Shiganshina, overheard horrors from the Scouts in the bar... They all seemed so surreal, like a horrible nightmare she couldn't wake up from. 

When she first met the 104th Cadet Corps, as well as Hange-San and Levi-San, she had noticed a certain exhaustion to them. Not physical exhaustion, as such, but an emotional and psychological drain. Each one of them, despite their upbeat personas, seemed to carry a heavy weight upon their shoulders, as if they were holding up the sky. She could only imagine the horrors they'd seen. She was even more shocked when she learned from speaking to Connie and Sasha, that most of the squad was orphaned, or was left with one parent. Even more so when she learned that three of the squad had been present when the first attack happened five years ago. She nearly burst into tears on the spot - embarrassing as it may be. The horrors these children had endured in just five years, were more than most people could in several lifetimes. 

Her mother was a psychologist - something most people saw as an archaic, useless occupation - but was far more important than they realised. She was the reason many of the soldiers hadn't taken their own lives after returning from battle. And while she certainly didn't have her mother's keen eye, she would be surprised if everyone present didn't suffer from some kind of depression or anxiety disorder. Grief and loss do horrible things to the human mind. 

Now, as she stood atop the tree branch several meters above the ground, staring at the face of the Devil himself, she finally understood: how these children, once pure and innocent, now held the weight of the world. 

* * *

 

**Levi's POV**

_No._

_Oh my God **no**._

His stomach dropped, his eyes stung, his mouth hung agape, his throat burned. 

He couldn't breathe. 

Klara screamed.

Sasha and Connie matched the sound. 

Historia and Rune both choked on a gasp, Jean gagged, Alina stumbled and fell on her butt, cursing and stuttering. 

Armin began to hyperventilate. Mikasa fell to her knees, muttering, sobbing and shaking like a leaf. "Carla... Carla, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect him and now-" Her voice broke. 

The Titan turned and began to make its way towards them. 

_Shit. No, please don't come over here._

Levi unsheathed his swords, ready to strike; when suddenly it stopped, its face going slack. 

The beast wobbled for a moment before falling flat on its back. He looked on in awe and horror, as its stomach began to... stretch? It continued to expand, before splitting entirely - like a blister or a pimple. Steam rose from the wound, engulfing the creature. A shadow moved within, and when the smoke cleared- 

"EREN!" They all shouted. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Titan Eren!!! Sorry for not posting in ages! v_v


	5. Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they thought their situation couldn’t get any stranger, Klara, Rune and Alina bear witness to just what happens when you anger Eren Jaeger…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, this is just a chapter of Eren beating the ever-loving shit out of a couple of Titans; I'm horrible with anatomy so this was a little challenging…

**Rune's POV**

_What the_ **_actual_ ** _fuck._

Ten years Rune had studied science – primarily in the field of agricultural science, but he did dabble in biology on occasion. He’s studied the medicinal properties of countless herbs and spices, and how adding certain condiments to meats increases their shelf life. He spent most of his time trying to alter some of the crops to make them more fruitful – mostly potatoes and berries.

He’d also documented various poisonous plants; sketching them and recording all of their properties, and had acquired a reputation as somewhat of an expert in the field. One such plant causes an insufferable itch when it comes into contact with human skin – another secreted noxious fumes when boiled. He recalled growing a plant that produced a sap-like substance - which had quickly attracted ants, to his annoyance – until he noticed that some of the ants would suddenly stop where they were and die; others simply started running around with no destination until they exhausted themselves to death.

He’s come across some pretty weird shit, to put it mildly.

Whatever the fuck he was seeing right now made his past experiences seem ridiculously mundane.  

The Titan - Eren (Fucking hell, how did that happen?) - stood at around the fifteen-meter mark, his deep brown hair had grown long enough to graze his broadened shoulders; his eyes had deeply sunken into their sockets, though they still held their original teal-blue colour. His mouth had taken on an unusual, jagged shape which lacked any lips, revealing all of his teeth. 

He was naked, like every other titan he'd seen - but rather than being pot-bellied or sickeningly thin, Eren's figure was sculpted and muscular: strong, sturdy legs; large, beefy arms and a very defined abdomen. 

The giant twitched and jerked – his eyes glowing vibrantly through the curtain of steam, the Titan corpse beneath him now almost fully decayed.

A horrific, high-pitched, throat-tearing screech ‘(holy shit, did Eren make that noise?)’ broke him from his trance – finally noticing that all of the surrounding titans had begun to swarm the boy-turned-beast.

A nine-meter lunges at him, teeth bared. Eren swiftly turns - fists at the ready, and sends the thing flying backwards with a solid uppercut. The impact separated its head from its body.

Another Titan, perhaps a 3-meter, approached from behind and launched itself at Eren’s feet, just barely missing his Achilles Heel. Eren pivots on his left foot and swings his right leg around to kick the beast right in the windpipe – steam erupts from the creature, and it too is sent flying backwards.

A five-meter gets a lucky hit in – biting Eren's right hamstring. Eren roars – whether it is in rage or pain was unclear. Rune stares in awe and horror as Eren grabs the beast by its shoulders and lifts it up; he harshly bites the back of its neck, ripping away the flesh and throwing the body aside.

He lets loose on another Titan - punching it right in the jaw, the impact left the beast on its back. He grabs another by the neck and in one fluid motion, he twists its head and shatters the bone. He turns to the Titan he left on the ground, lifts his leg, and plunges it into its throat; again, and again until the beast had stopped spasming. Eren was now splattered with Titan’s blood, and though it would quickly evaporate, the sight was no less gruesome.

Rune's throat burned as he fought down bile - he was by no means a squeamish person, having become accustomed to blood many years ago. The sight before him, though... Words couldn't do it justice. Taking a glance around, everyone seemed to be in a similar state of horror and amazement.

Another roar drew his attention – Eren had been tackled by two five-meters.

“Shit” He heard Levi mutter, readying his blades.

Being face-down on the ground didn’t seem to faze Eren, though, as he lifted himself with his arms – almost as if he were about to do a round of push-ups – and swiftly flipped himself onto his back, crushing the creatures beneath him. Abruptly, he bends his knees, folding his legs so his knees met his chest, and used the momentum to launch himself off of the ground. The impact shook the leaves off of nearby shrubbery, and caused tremors that made the coarse dirt beneath him crack and crumble.   

He turns sharply and plunges his foot into one of the creatures’ necks. He smashes his foot against the creature’s neck until his shin bone separates from his knee joint, breaking the skin of his right quad, and revealing the bone for all to see. A spray of blood and steam shot into the air, and blood rained down upon the creatures.

He hears Sasha gag beside him, and she proceeds to vomit over the side of the branch.

Two titans remained, a lanky 6-meter with short black hair, the other, a plump, bald creature that lay beneath Eren’s feet. The beasts lunged at Eren, and several things happened at once. The Titan closest to Eren managed to wrap its arms around Eren's waist and began savagely gnawing at the toned flesh; while the lanky Titan lunged for Eren’s right arm, grabbed it, and ripped the appendage right from its socket.

That meant nothing to Eren, though.

He roared, fucking _unhinging_ his jaw, splitting the skin of his cheeks as he sharply bent over and clamped down on the bald beast’s head. He released the creature from his grip and then bit down again, and again and again until the beast's skull had caved in. The Titan crumpled to the ground, steam rising into the sky.

He turned to the lanky Titan, and with his only remaining arm – his left arm, he grabs the creature by its throat and crushes the bones in his hand. The creature is stunned, and Eren turns it around and rips away the flesh of its nape, killing it.

He turns to the plump, bald Titan, its skull crushed like the shell of a broken egg. He plants is left foot between the beast’s shoulder blades, and grabs its head with his left arm. He pulls and pulls until the creature’s spine _snaps_ and its head is separated from its body.

Eren’s work was done, and an ear-splitting roar resonated through each of them, rumbling through the valley like a great clap of thunder. A warning, Rune assumed – a challenge, even.  

And then he fell.


	6. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the decimation of the Titan horde, the team finally get a chance to sit down, talk and get some much-needed rest. Conflict arises as the soldiers begin to explain Eren’s story, and several things come to light.   
> Yumikuri if you squint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s this? Sasha and Connie actually get lines? In my fic? About fucking time XD Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think Mikasa or Armin have said a single word in this entire fic up until now… Whoops.
> 
> (Decided to break this chapter into two; I wrote way more for this than I intended.)

**Jean’s POV:**

Jaeger’s been out for about a half hour, and of course _he_ was the one stuck with carrying the guy. Mikasa offered, but Jean instead told her to carry his backpack. Eren had lost his when he shifted to his Titan form, so there was only Jean’s to carry.

So there he was, trudging through the thick underbrush with a guy who weighed almost as much as Jean himself did hanging limply on his back. Originally, they planned to make a gurney for him, but it would have been too difficult to navigate, and they needed to watch out for whatever deadly animals lay in wait. So instead, Armin and Hange fashioned a rope out of some vines, and tied Eren to Jean’s back. They had walked in silence since then.

He was seriously regretting his decision – though the utterly enormous trees above created quite a lot of shade, that didn’t stop Jean from sweating like he was in a sauna. Eren was literally steaming as his body worked to repair whatever injuries he’d sustained while in his Titan form. They must have been internal, because he looked completely fine – aside from the paleness and a few weird-looking lines stretching down his cheeks.

It was clear that they would need to explain exactly just what the hell had happened out there to the newcomers, who would occasionally glace back at the boy in horror. With Eren strapped to his back, Jean felt as if their eyes were viewing _him_ with such terror and intrigue.  

_‘Is this how Jaeger feels when he walks by the other soldiers? Like an outcast?’_

Jean actually felt kinda sorry for the guy, but that must have been exhaustion screwing with his mind. A disgusting squelching sound reaches Jean’s ears, and Hange-San reels back, nearly knocking Jean over.

“Ah, crap, I got mud in my boots! It feels so gross…”

“Don’t stop so suddenly, damnit! You nearly knocked me over!”

“Sorry, it just scared me.” They said sheepishly. Hange-San looked down at their boots and frowned, “I’m gonna have to walk in these until we make camp, won’t I?”

“Unless you plan to walk through the forest barefoot, yeah, you will.” Levi-San said flatly.

“Ack! I think I stepped in some too! Don’t come over here!” Sasha warned.

“It’s pretty dry out… I _hope_ that’s mud.” Connie mused.

Out of curiosity, Sasha grabbed a stick, poked it unto the puddle and lifted it to her nose. She dropped the thing like a hot coal, scrunching her nose.

“Nope, nope, _nope_ , that is _definitely_ _not_ mud…”

After that bout of silliness, they continued their trek through the thicket, alerting each other to more puddles of what was definitely _not_ mud, sharp bushes or anything else dangerous. At one point, Rune-San retrieved a blood-splattered notebook from God knows where and began taking notes and making quick sketches. Alina-San helped him take samples, placing them in a small woven bag with a drawstring seal.

Levi-San headed the group, blades drawn, while Mikasa trotted on at the rear, with her blades drawn as well. Jean stifled a screech when a spider the side of his head appeared from the other side of a tree, Rune-San threw a small stone at the trunk of the tree and the thing scurried back into the foliage.

They continued on for some time until the group reached a clearing that received full sun, jagged rocks stuck out of the ground at various angles, one of them was almost completely horizontal.

“Hey, guys, help me put Jaeger on that rock over there,” he said, gesturing with his chin to the large stone.

Armin was the first to approach, followed swiftly by Levi-San, as they began to untie Eren and carry him to the rock. Jean sat down hard on the grass, utterly exhausted. Klara, bless her soul, offered him some of her water; he drank close to all of it in one go.

“We’ll set up camp here for tonight, from what I can estimate, it’s about to get real dark real fast.” Armin called.

Everyone gathered to establish their jobs: Levi-San and Mikasa would secure the perimeter to ensure there wasn’t anything dangerous lurking nearby; Connie, Rune-San and Alina-San would gather firewood, while Historia would set up a stove. Armin would try to determine their location and their next move, while Hange-San and Jean began setting up some makeshift tents from the materials they brought and whatever else they could find. That left Sasha to hunt and cook their meals (though they had rations, they decided It would be best to keep them until they were in a position where hunting was not possible), and Klara to tend to whatever wounds the group had sustained, including Eren.

Hange began planning where they would build the shelters by carving outlines into the dirt with a stick, while Jean prepped the area; removing leaves and vines, and piling the materials they’d use into one area. Each person (sans Eren, who’d lost his backpack), carried a week’s rations, including water, as well as a basic change of clothes (with an extra two pairs of socks), a hunting knife (including a bow and quiver, in Sasha’s case), as well as bedrolls. Each of the soldiers carried their swords, but left their ODM gear back at the walls, to reduce weight.

They had originally planned to bring tarps, but only three of the eleven were actually present, as the rest were tied to the horses they’d abandoned when the horde attacked; each tarp could shelter two people – three, if they wanted to try and squish in together. That still left three people without shelter, though, so crafting another two tarps was necessary.

Klara and Eren, being the only ones with substantial medical training or knowledge, had packed medical supplies, including a needle and thread to stitch large wounds – and to balance the weight, supplies were shifted to other people’s bags, like food and water. But, again, with Eren’s bag now gone, they only had Klara’s medical equipment.

Jean wondered how Eren had any medical knowledge at all – the guy seemed more interested in tearing things limb from limb than patching someone up, but that was a question for another time.

He hauled a large tangle of vines, and then used the hunting knife to cut them into a more manageable size, before depositing them on the stockpile he’d begun to create.

“I think that should be enough vines, how about you grab those tarps and we’ll see if we can fashion something that’ll last us the night.”

Jean nodded, jogged over to retrieve the tarps and unravelled them fully, placing them over Hange-San’s dirt schematics.

“Hm… Looks like we’ll need some big-ass sticks…” Hage-San noted.

“How about we connect each tarp, that way they’ll be stronger and we’ll need less supports.”

“Good thinking, Jean, I’ll see what I can do.”

As Hange-San began poking holes into the tarps for the vines, Klara approached, medical supplies in tow.

“Any injuries? Bruises will heal eventually but we will need to clean up any cut ot they’ll get infected.” The girl’s voice sounded strained.

“You holding up okay?” The boy asked as he offered his arm – he had in fact been nicked by a prickly bush, leaving several small cuts, the largest of them had begun to bleed.

“I think I just need to process what just happened… Some rest should do me good…” She dabbed on some antiseptic, closed the bottle and deposited it back in her medical pouch. The girl looked up at him. “What the heck _was_ that? Eren-San, he–”

“I promise we’ll explain everything to you guys when we gather for dinner, but for now, you should see to Alina-San, I think she vomited earlier.”

The girl frowned for a moment before nodding. She swiftly left to seek out the woman.

Jean returned to his work, and within a few minutes they had fashioned a structure that looked sturdy enough to last. Hange-San kicked and pulled the thing in various places in good measure, and made adjustments where necessary. They had set up the tarps so each one was connected by two long vines which ran across the longest edges. They had set up supports by hammering large sticks into the ground with some rocks and tying the vines to the sticks. They had set up the shelter just in front of an enormous tree – its bark was almost completely white with the occasional grey area. Its branches reach far across – intermixing with other trees, and provided great shade. They had tied a long vine around the trunk of the tree – which was no small feat; the thing was thicker than a carriage – and secured it to each end of the shelter.   

Once they were satisfied the structure would not fail them, they made their way to the centre of the camp, where all but Sasha, Mikasa and Levi-San had returned. The group had formed a loose circle around a nicely sized fire, with Rune placing more firewood nearby. They had decided to shift Eren onto the ground, placing him on one of the bedrolls. 

“I’m gonna go see if Sasha needs help hauling whatever she caught, I’ll holler if we need more help. I’ll ask Mikasa and Levi-San if they’ve spotted anything if I run by them.” Connie stood, drew his blades, and made his way over to where Sasha had entered the forest.

Jean glanced over to Historia, who had created a makeshift oven – she’d retrieved a small metal pot from Sasha’s pack and had placed it atop a pile of hot coals beside the fire.

She retrieved three wooden bowls from Sasha’s pack, and three from her own. She sighed; they were missing some, it seemed.

Jean heard a pained groan, and noticed Eren’s features contort in pain, before shifting slightly.

“Is he… alright?” Rune-San asked Klara.

“I… I don’t know, he’s running a high temperature, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that’s causing it…”

“That’s fine, it’s just his body regenerating and healing.” Armin clarified. “His healing is far superior to any ordinary human, so he’ll be fine. Just make sure he’s well hydrated.”

Jean glanced over at Alina-San, who had several things piled onto her lap – she’d taken a large piece of bark and was using it like a food tray to hold all of the “specimens” she’d collected. Various berries and leaves, insects and even a few dead lizards were strewn about. Alina-San and Rune-San were studying the items; taking notes in their journals and exchanging observations.

A sharp series of snaps caught the group’s attention, and Sasha, Connie, Mikasa and Levi-San emerged, carrying a medium-sized doe. Klara got up and stoked the fire, while Rune and Alina packed up their things, ushering the four to the flat rock. They deposited the carcass, and Sasha retrieved her knife, working to remove the arrow stuck in the creature’s skull. Historia took that as her cue to fill the pot with water, emptying one of her water pouches, and one of Sasha’s. Mikasa looked around before noticing Eren and Armin sitting on the ground, before making her way over to them.

Alina waited until everyone was settled before clearing her throat.

“I’m just going to get straight to the point: what the _fuck_ just happened?”

The soldiers glanced at each other – this question was inevitable, after all – before Levi-San spoke up.

“You know _exactly_ what happened; Eren turned into a titan and beat the shit out of the other Titans.”

“Yeah, I was there.” She replied, now upstanding. “What I _should_ be asking is… How? How can he _do_ that? Is he even human?” Alina asked.

“Of course he’s a human, get of his case.” Mikasa snapped, she too was standing, hands on her blades.

“Hey hey hey,” Rune stood, holding up his hands in a calming gesture, “I’d say it’s a pretty valid question. Considering the circumstances.”

“Jaeger’s a moron, but he’s saved my sorry ass more than a few times. Just what are you trying to say?” Jean inquired, his tone sharp.

“No offence, but this guy–” Alina gestured to Eren, “Just turned into one of those… _Things_.” The woman turned to Levi-San and Hange-San. “I think we deserve an explanation. Just what the _hell_ has the military been doing behind our backs?”

“Fucked if I know.” Levi-San states coldly, accentuating his point with a glare.

“What Levi’s _trying_ to say is we _don’t know_ how he acquired these abilities, but we know he wants to use them to sav humanity from those beasts.”

“What do you mean you _don’t know?”_ Rune asked, dumbfounded.

“How about we just sit down and talk, shouting is getting us nowhere.” Armin called. “We’ll tell you everything we know, but you have to understand that we don’t have all the details; we’re still really in the dark about this.”

“Armin’s right; arguing like this is pointless. We all just need to cool down for a second.” Historia – always the voice of reason.

After some persuasion, Alina, followed by everyone else, sat back down.

Sasha had cut open the doe’s belly and had begun removing the intestines, depositing them in a dip in the ground beside her. Her hands were covered in blood, and Jean thanked the heavens he wasn’t as squeamish as he used to be.

Mikasa cleared her throat, looking to Hange-San and Levi-San for confirmation. The pair nodded.

“First of all, I think we should tell you that Eren isn’t the only one who has these abilities.”

“You mean there are _more_ of them? Jesus Christ.” Rune cursed, exhaling.

“The first two appeared nearly five years ago; you know them as the Armoured and Colossal Titans.”

“Oh my God.” Klara whispered.

“I was there – _we_ were there: Armin, Eren and I, when those bastards broke down the gate…”

Jean noticed the strain in Mikasa’s voice, so he continued.

“Those Titans? Turns out they were living among us – literally. They trained with us, slept in cabins with us, ate with us, _fought_ with us….” Jean clenched his fist. “Bertholdt Hoover and Reiner Braun were their names; the Colossal and Armoured Titans respectively. Though, we didn’t figure that out for _years_ , only recently, in fact.”

“We discovered the identity of their comrade, the Female Titan, as she was dubbed, far before that.” Hange-San chimed in, “Annie Leonheart was her name; she and Eren had fought twice before we took her into custody.”

“The bitch killed my previous squad-mates, which is why I’m with these kids now.” A respectful silece fell over the group, before Connie spoke up. 

“We don’t know where they came from – it’d sure help if we did – we only know that they had some twisted mission to kill off humanity.” He finished.

Jean heard a bubbling sound come from the fire, and he glanced over to see Sasha removing the pot from the heat, using a spare pair of socks to cover her hands. She began to stir it slowly, and spoke up.

“We’re a little short on bowls, guys, are we cool to take turns eating?” A chorus of yesses answered her, and she continued to make the soup, dropping in two diced potatoes.

“There was another.” Historia piped up. “Her name was Ymir – she didn’t have a nickname.”

“Ymir is… We don’t know too much about her past,” Armin explained, “But she, like the others, lived, trained, ate and fought alongside us for years. Unlike those three, though, fought _for_ humanity…”

“She disappeared with Reiner and Bertholdt, probably to escape whatever punishment she thought she’d receive for hiding her identity… Their current whereabouts are unknown, but she remains an ally of humanity, as far as I’m concerned.” Hange-San finished.

Historia smiled, a wistful look on her face.

They heard another groan and Eren turned to face the group. The marks on his face had completely healed, and his skin had regained some colour.

“How do we know Eren won’t go rogue on us?” Rune-San held up his hands, but continued, “I mean, God only knows what’s happening to his brain when he transforms… I’m wondering if there’s some kind of contingency plan for if he loses control or something…”

“That would be me,” Levi-San stated. “The only reason Eren wasn’t publicly _executed_ when the government learned of his abilities was because the Scouts stepped in.” The man glared at Rune-San. “He’s gone wild a few times, but he’s always come back. If ever the day came when Eren did lose control and there was no other option…” Levi stared at the sword that lay across his lap, “it’d be me who’d have to put him down, once and for all…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I forgot to give the “San” honorific to Alina, Rune, Levi or Hange anywhere in this chapter or past chapters, please let me know and I’ll fix it :)


	7. The monsters among us...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group decides to try and ease the tension by getting to know each other a little more through a game. Klara shares a story that shocks and deeply angers the group. Eren is still asleep, but the story Mikasa tells about him chills the group to the core. 
> 
> Springles (Sasha/Connie) is canon FiGhT mE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up needing to split up the last chapter, so this chapter kinda starts off weirdly. If I didn’t split it somewhere, though, chapter four would have easily reached the 4,000-word mark and I know a lot of you wouldn’t be too keen on reading all of that XD.

**Klara’s POV.**

A long silence fell after Levi-San’s words.

 _‘He’d **kill** Eren-San?’_ Klara thought. She looked over at the short man; his expression was unreadable, but not blank. She sensed a horrible past beneath that cold exterior. Klara guessed that he wasn’t the only one; many of her travel-mates held a darkness in their eyes, like they’d walked through hell.

_Of course they had. They lived in it._

It was Connie-San that interrupted the silence with a loud clap, starling Klara out of her thoughts.

“Seeing as we’re going to be on this mission for a while, how about some campfire stories? Y’know, we can go around the circle and share something about us, or ask something about another person. It can be like that game they got us to play at training so we could meet our comrades.”

Connie-San grinned – and it immediately made Klara feel more at ease.

The cadets snickered, remembering all the embarrassing stories they’d heard while completing their training.

“Sure, I’m up for that.” Rune-San says, shrugging.

Alina-San rolls her eyes but agrees as well.

“Hell yeah!” Sasha-San called as she added some kind of herb into the soup.

“One word answers, that’s it.” Levi-San declares. The group was taken aback – no one actually thought he’d play.

“Oh boy, I’ve got so much dirt on so many people…” Hange-San giggled.

“Um, okay…” Klara hesitantly agrees.

Once everyone had agreed, Connie-San began to explain the rules.

“It’s pretty simple; we go around the circle – generally we’d introduce ourselves and say our ages, but we’ll skip that part – and we say something we like, a favourite food or animal or whatever, we do that twice, on the same turn. Once everyone’s had a go, we tell a story – it could be funny or gross, whatever you like.” He pauses, and then adds, “Levi-San can just do a repeat of the first two rounds, since he doesn’t seem too keen on telling stories…”

Levi-San looked up from the blade he was sharpening and gave a small nod.

“The fourth and final round is my favourite – we can ask one person in the group a question, and they _have_ to answer it. Additionally, every person will need to have been asked a question for the round, and the game, to end. If you can’t think of a good question, you can skip your turn; someone else will pick up the slack.”

“I’ll start us off” Jean-San spoke. “I like to draw – I always have, since I was little… Um, I guess I’m afraid of spiders?”

“Jean! Are you or aren’t you afraid of spiders! You can’t answer with a question!” Connie-San chastised, but took his turn.

“Okay, so I _love_ pulling pranks on people, and I’ve got a funny story to tell later. Oh! I can burp my abc’s!” He added proudly.

It was Sasha-San who went next; “I really, _really_ , love food. Eating it, making it, everything.” That came as a surprise to no one. “Aside from food, I like Connie!” The girl grinned, and Connie-San rolled his eyes.

“I should hope you do, we’re dating.”

Jean-San cackled, rolling onto his side. Levi-San pinched the bridge of his nose.

Klara was baffled; she had no idea!

Historia-San took a bit longer to think, and eventually came up with “I love the ‘Little Bell of May’ flower; it’s said that picking these flowers will bring a person good fortune, and I think it’d make a neat git to give someone.”

Afterwards, she simply said that she liked swimming, especially in the morning.

Alina-San’s turn took less thought; she stated that she loved writing, and had written several novels of her own, though she had never released any of them.

“I love muffins – especially warmed and with butter.” She added.

Rune-San admitted that he could spend a full day reading and only be able to stop when he needed to use the bathroom or eat.

He then admitted something that baffled Klara.

“I hate sweet things. I don’t know why, but anything with added sugar is revolting to me.”

Sasha held a hand over her heart, taking it as a personal offence.

Then, it was Klara’s turn. “Um, I live on a plot of land in Wall Rosa; my family is one of the two main suppliers of meat and poultry. I started helping out when I was seven – carrying milk buckets and animal feed around.”

“Ah, that explains why they sent you.” Rune-San says.

“It really doesn’t. If her family’s so important, why send her at all?” Alina counteracted.

“I’m not exactly an important person in my house – I’m the youngest of eight, you see; so when the military sent word that they needed someone with intimate knowledge of animals for an expedition, my father picked me. I don’t have nearly as much experience as my siblings, but that also meant I was… Expendable.”

Silence.

_‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, what will they think of me now?’_

“That’s fucked.” Levi-San snaps. “What type of a parent could label their child as _expendable?”_

“Despicable.” Historia seethes.  

Klara simply shrugs, “That’s how it’s always been in my family. The military has a history of leading suicide missions, but in the event that it was a success, my father would reap the glory.”

Klara paused, and elected to change the subject. “Anyway, I hate laundry. The next time I have to do it will be too soon.” A chuckle ripples through the group, murmuring their agreements.

Then it was Hange-San’s turn. “Hm... I’m fascinated, and horrified, by Titans; does that count?” When Connie-San nodded, she grinned. “Great! Um… I like making short jokes, especially to Levi here.” Hange-San cackles.

“I hate short jokes. And I hate Hange.”

“How rude!”

Klara stifled a laugh.

It was now Armin’s turn, and his response fascinated Klara. “When all this is over, I’d like to travel and see the wonders of the world, things that only story books spoke of. I want to see the oceans and the mountains, caves and rivers. Something other than… This.”

After that, he simply stated that he liked the colour blue, “because it’s calming”.

Next was Mikasa, who admitted that she enjoyed cloud gazing; it reminded her of calm afternoons with her parents, of a simpler time. Klara noted the darkening in Mikasa’s expression when she mentioned her parents, and Klara knew something horrible had befallen them.

The next thing she said was simply, “I like training.”

“Right, since Eren’s a bit out of it right now, that’s it for round one! Now for a story; Jean, you’re up!”

Jean-San’s story was short and sweet, explaining his fear of spiders. He’d woken up one morning to find a spider nearly the size of his head crawling up his chest. He’d screamed so loud his mother thought he was being murdered.

After a bout of laughter, it was Connie’s turn. He described pulling a prank on one of their fellow cadets during the first few weeks of training – the guy was a prick, Connie explained. It was the classic “bucket of water over the half-open door” scenario, but instead of his intended target, one of their trainers walked in and was drenched in water. Connie was never caught because the blame was pinned on the guy he set the trap for!

“Classic.” Sasha-San cackled. She then pondered the story she’d share. Her story told of how she’d snuck into the meat cellar reserved for the higher ups, and how she’d stashed it away and had the thing for dinner. She was never caught. Hange-San broke out into laughter, while Levi-San simply quirked an eyebrow.

Historia-San’s story told of how she was walking along the street one day and fell flat on her face, landing in a puddle of mud. In front of a group of eight years olds who proceeded laugh hysterically. As if that hadn’t been enough, she then stood up, she somehow managed to slip again and fell on her butt.

Klara could relate and told Historia-San so. 

Alina-San spoke of a rude gentleman who’d recently moved in and was “a total prick with no regard for the people around him.” One day, Alina-San had “accidentally” swapped a plant she had with something the man had bought for soup. The man was vomiting for a full day afterwards, and was sickly for another two. He soon moved away.

“The greatest role model” Jean had dubbed her, cackling.

Rune-San skipped his turn, explaining that he had a rather boring life, and didn’t have any stories that would interest them.

Klara’s turn was next, and she told them about the time she’d been walking alongside her eldest brother, now in his twenties, and he’d stepped in a pile of manure that had been left by an escaped animal. He ended up needing to throw the boots out, but his feet stunk for days.

Armin shared a story of he and Eren, how he used to be bullied by the local kids. Klara instantly sympathised. “I wasn’t afraid of them; yeah they could hurt me, but only because they didn’t possess the brains to be civilised.” He then spoke of how a young Eren had charged up and socked one of them in the jaw. They turned on Eren, but quickly turned tail when they noticed Mikasa close behind.

The group laughed, and Mikasa shared her story. Like Armin’s, it was of her childhood; how he and Eren had been hauling sticks for the fire, “we lived together, at the time” she explained.

 _‘That explains why she’s so attached to him. But why were they living together in the first place?’_ Klara wonders.

Eren had been walking down the hill when his foot caught on a stray rock and he fell face-first into the dirt, and proceeded to roll the rest of the way, breaking the sticks he carried on his back and leaving him with more than a few bruises. His father, a doctor, Mikasa clarified, patched him up.

Round three came, and various questions were asked, ranging from: “Jean, is it true that you’re part horse?” (via Sasha-San), “Rune, have you actually ever left your house?” (via Alina-San), “Levi-San, would you rather fight one Titan-sized chickens or ten chicken-sized Titans?” (via Connie-San), and “Armin, why is it you want to see the outside world so deeply?” (via Rune-San).

No, Jean-San was not part horse; yes, Rune-San had, in fact, left his house; the chicken, of course, that’d feed him for _weeks_ ; and it’s thanks to Armin’s late grandfather that he has such an interest in the outside world.

It was finally Klara’s turn, and she had already planned her question.

“Mikasa-San? Why is it you and Eren were living together? I get that it’s probably a sensitive topic, but I’m genuinely curious.”

Mikasa-San and Armin-San shared a look.

“It’s, uh, pretty violent.” Armin-San starts.

“It’s fine, I’ll tell. Levi-San and Hange-San already know this story.”

Mikasa-San proceeded to tell the group about how it started off as an ordinary day, Mikasa-San and her mother were sewing while they waited for a visitor – Eren-San’s father, it turned out. She told them how it wasn’t Grisha who was at the door, but a group of strange men. They stabbed her father in the chest – the wound killing him instantly. Her mother retaliated, and she, too was killed.

Klara thought she’d break down into tears – Mikasa-San had to _watch_ her parents be murdered. Their killers weren’t Titans, but they were monsters all the same, just of the human variety. Moreover, Mikasa was telling the story as easily as one might recall what they had for breakfast that morning.

With a shock, it became clear to Klara that Mikasa’s apathetic and stoic nature was not innate, but was born of early tragedy.

Mikasa-San was knocked unconscious, and she awoke in a strange place. She recalled that her three captors were arguing loudly, and that’s what woke her.

“I remember one of them saying that they wanted to take my mother, too, but because she put up a fight they had to kill her…” She paused for a moment, before continuing. “I’m of oriental blood, you see, from my mother’s side, one of the last; apparently there are some perverts in the capital who’ll pay a high price for someone like that.”

Klara’s sorrow turned to disgust. She shivered, praying she’d never encounter such a person.

She then spoke about how she heard a knock at the door, and one of the kidnappers answered, weapon in hand. Standing in the doorway she saw a young boy, whom she later discovered was Eren-San. How he found at all her still boggled Mikasa-San’s mind to this day. The boy proceeded to tell the man he’d gotten lost – Mikasa herself was convinced, but when the man let his guard down, Eren-San stabbed him in the heart with the knife he’d been hiding. The man fell to the ground, dead.

Klara glanced at the sleeping boy with a mixture of horror and awe.

She recalled Eren-San storming in, dashing into a broom closet. When one of the captors followed, he emerged with a makeshift spear – he’d taped the knife to a broom handle – and impaled the man. He set on freeing Mikasa-San, before he was knocked to the ground by another man, who must have left the room before the commotion started. There was a struggle between the pair, and when it was clear Eren-San’s life was in danger, Mikasa-San picked up the makeshift spear and stabbed the man in the back – literally.

Afterwards, the two met up with Grisha and the authorities outside the cabin Mikasa had been kept in, and Eren-San was chastised heavily. Mikasa clutched the bright red scarf she wore – perhaps a gift from her or Eren-San’s parents? It was clearly special to her.

“From then on,” she finished, “I stayed with Carla, Grisha and Eren. Until, of course, that day five years ago…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily of the Valley: It is grown in Bavaria and is bell-shaped in appearance; it has a nice fragrance and can also be grown indoors. According to legend, these flowers were formed by Eve’s tears when she and Adam were sent from Heaven to Earth. In German, it is known as the “Little Bell of May”; it is said that picking these flowers will bring good luck to a person.

**Author's Note:**

> Amara: Eternally beautiful (German)  
> Alexandre: Defender of mankind (French)  
> Alina: Little noble one (Polish)  
> Klara: Bright or clear (Polish)  
> Rune: Secret (German)  
> Schäfer: Sheppard (German).


End file.
